Friday, April 1, 2011

Post for April 2-3

Hello All,

In our reading for Friday, Stevens argues that a primal motivating cause of our symbols and archteypes is fear:

"many of the symbolic rituals devised by our ancestors arose out of the anxieties that inevitably afflicted human beings living in the environmental circumstances in which our species evolved and lifed for most of its existence. Fears that the vegetative forces of regeneration might wear out and the crops fail gave rise to the fertility rituals, sacrifices of animals and the first fruits, etc., practised by human communities all over the world. Fears that the winter sostice might not mark the end of the sun's withdrawal over the horizon and the beginning of its return explain the ubiquitous existence of solstice rituals, saturnalisa, orgies, and so on. Omnipresent fears of predatory animals and hostile tribal neighbors generated teh surpernatural strength and magical powers of myriad heroes and hero-gods, enabling them to triumph over the monsters, snake-haired medusas, ogres, ghouls, and terrible chimeras which have horrified the imagination since the beginning of anthropological time. While the fear of sickness, spells, bad magic, demons, and jealous ancestral spirits generated the need for shamans, wizards, medicine men, white witches, adn wise women, with their amulets, masks, drums, ecstatic trances, and magic flights necessaery to counter the evils lying in constant wait for us. Our capacity to find symbolical means of dealing with these fears is one of the most striking characteristics of humankind." (42)

One medium for our modern exorcism of these fears is through film, so for this post, describe one film you find especially frightening.

For example, the last film to give me a scare was The Blair Witch Project. I used to go camping quite a bit with my friends, and this film reminded me of the fears of getting lost and of the noises one can't help but hear in the darkness: What was that? Is it getting closer?

28 comments:

  1. Yadhira Moreno

    One of the earliest scary movies that really gave a scare what that of "Paranormal Activities 2." I did not watch the first one but I can imagine how scary it was. Watching the movie just made me realize that sometimes when I am alone in my house and I hear a door slam, a really loud noise, cries, or even see door or cabinets open that it might be a ghost of some sort. My sister told me that the movie is all made up and that the incidents are false. The movie deals with a real family in real life so that is why I thought it was real. :)

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  2. To me there are two films that were extremely frighting to me.These two films are old but are still frighting to me. The first one is called "IT" its about a clown who lives in sewers and attack only children. The other movie is "Chuckie" which is about a doll that comes to live. The main reason why they are scary to me is that when my friends and I was younger, my brother had scared us with a chuckie doll and a clown mask. I have been scared ever since.
    Shyanna Atkinson

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  3. A movie that made me fearful was Poltergeist.It is about a family that is visited by ghosts in their home. At first the ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house, amuseing everyone, then they turn nasty and terrorise the family before they "kidnap" the youngest daughter. This movie made me think about the history behind the homes I've lived in and wondered if there were any ghosts wandering in our home. For the longest time any unfamiliar sound would scare the hell out of me. Gives me the "Heebee Jeebees" just thinking about it.

    Tony A.

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  4. To be honest, I am terrified of scary movies so I very rarely watch them. The last scary movie that I watched was many years ago; "A Nightmare on Elm St." which probably shows my age. Freddy Krueger terrified me with his long, razor-sharp blades that were embedded in his fingers. I cannot remember a lot of the details, but I do recall his red and black stripped shirt (I use to have one).

    Christine Hadwar

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  5. My older brother and sister forced me to watch horror movies when I was a kid. The original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was so terrifying to watch. Freddy Krueger was a terrifying character with his burnt face and his razor glove. I did not want to fall asleep thinking that he will kill me in my dreams. The chant that the dead children characters used during the movie is so creepy: one two Freddy is coming for you, three four better lock your door, five six grab a crucifix, seven eight better stay up late, nine ten never sleep again. I overcome my fear of watching horror movies and I think they're fun to watch.

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  6. The last film I saw that scared me was “Paranormal Activity.” At first, I felt sorry for the girl because she seemed like a great innocent person and didn’t deserve the presence of this strange thing trying to take control of her. I thought to myself that after the couple had encounter the shutting of doors, seeing footsteps, the girl being pulled out of bed, the message on the wigi board, I would have personally left the house without thinking about it. I do know that the movie was not a true story but the ending of the movie freaked the blank out of me. She tossed her boyfriend straight to the camera and then she walked towards it. As she approached the camera her body was deform. She would tilt her head towards one direction to the other; it was just so creepy, especially as she got close to the camera were directors focused straight into her face and eyes which was pretty darn evilness. This movie gave me nightmares compare to the “Emily Rose Exorcism.” I believe that is why I didn’t go see the Paranormal Activity 2, also because it contains the presence of a baby which freaks me even more. Poor baby!
    By: Nancy Bejar

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  7. The scariest movie that I have ever watched is "The Exorcist." I seen that movie when I was about 7 years old. I don't know why I was watching that movie or why my parents allowed me to watch it, but that movie was the main reason why I would go to my parents room and sleep in their bed with them for a nights to come. Now that I am older I like watching horror movies. I watch them alone in the night, but none of the horror movies that I have seen have ever scared me like "The Exorcist."

    JORGE DE JULIAN

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  8. I typically don't get scared when watching horror movies especially the movies that come out nowadays. However, one of the scariest and most recent films that came out, in my opinion, is "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Films where individuals are tortured terrify me and since this movie is also based on true events that makes it even scarier, including that Leatherface was never found. After watching this movie I don't particularly want to go to Texas and I do not like small, remote, and secluded areas/towns.

    By: Alessandra Hoyte

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  9. “The exorcist” isn’t a recent movie, but it’s the only film I find scary until this day. It’s a movie about a girl who gets possessed by something after she plays with the Ouija board. This causes her to do crazy abnormal things. For example, she turns her head 360 degrees, and she runs down the stairs upside down. Perhaps I find it scary because most of the scenes are in her home, particularly in her room. The first time I watched this movie I couldn’t sleep, and I stay away from that board game.

    -Yoselin Ventura

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  10. Shawnie Speer

    I watch a lot of scary movies, but the one that freaked me out the most was Orphan. The end of the movie where the orphan transformed into an adult was scary. The things she did to her new brother and sister throughout the movie was horrible. They were too frightened to tell their parents. To this day I cannot watch it again.

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  11. I do not really like watching scary movies because I will have nightmares. The last scary movie I seen was one of the Saw films. These films are about a person “Jigsaw” who watches people and picks out the ones who are taking advantage of their life in some way, such as drug use. Once he captures them they are put in some type of trap and must pass certain types of tests or games to get out alive, before getting killed. Most of the victims do not make it out alive. This was frightening because I think the films give people ideas to hurt others and it could happen in real life, not just in movies.

    Felicia Contreras

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  12. The movies that scare me the most are real life horror films or television shows (Jaws, The Exorcist, The Chainsaw Massacre). These types of movies scare me because if it can happen to others in real life then it is possible it can happen to my friends or family. I realize that as I age things that I used to like turm my stomach now as an adult. Life and reality in the twenty first century can be scary (Sept. 11, Columbine, etc.) I can't bring myself to watch more distruction even if it is Hollywood produced.
    By: Stacy Johnson

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  13. I actually really like scary movies and watch them pretty often. The last movie I watched to really scare me was the Descent. I am a very outdoorsy person and I was camping out on the Payette River up in Idaho for 3 months this past summer when I saw this movie. I don't think I would have been as scared watching this movie if I was not out in the wilderness in a tent. The Descent is about a group of women going caving and encountering the unexpected. I love to do all things in the outdoors so this idea is pretty scary to me. Jen Scarbrough

    Jen Scarbrough

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  14. The movie that scared me the most was Paranormal Activity 2. It frightens me knowing that something is lurking around the house. Since I live alone I have wood floors in my house. I constantly hear the floor squeak. I just freak out because I know for a fact that no one is there. No one other than myself has a key to my house. So I always wondered if the person who lived here before me died and is now haunting me.

    By: Anthony Castro

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  15. I absolutely hate scary movies. I will not watch them unless I am forced. Even though I do not like scary movies and will not watch them, the latest scary movies I watched was The Roommate. I don't even know if you could consider that a scary movie but it definitely scared me, which is not too hard. When I watched this movie I was living in the dorms of cal state and it really scared me how someone can become obsessed with you and just start off as your friend but then turn on you immediately. The movie is about two girls that are assigned as roommates when they first begin their college adventure at a University. They start off as friends, but things take a tole for the worse when one of girls becomes obsessed with her roommate, and she slowly begins to target people her roommate loves. After watching this movie I definitely kept an eye out for my roommate.

    Denise Sanchez

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  16. I do not get scared by movies that are in the "horror" category. Freddy, Jason and all the other ones are things I feel I can control. I have my pistol and could easily rid the problem. Things that get to me are movies such as Signs, The Day after Tomorrow, The Sixth Sense, and Armegedon. These are things I can not control through my life and I would have limited ability to effect an outcome. These are the types of movies that really get my head going because it starts this what if scenario in my head.

    Cody C

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  17. One of the most scariest movies that I have watched is the Exorcist and it still scares me today. The reson why is because the fact that it is a true story and that a demon can possess anyone. That film made me not to want to touch a quija board ever.

    Jacqueline Perez

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  18. Watching scary movies is something that I normally do not do. However, I have watched scary movies here and there due to peer pressure. The most recent scary film I have watched has been, The Orphanage, which is a film about a woman who returns back to the home where she grew up in an orphanage. She returned with her family in hopes to turn that home into a place that aids disabled children. There are many awkward things that start to occur in the home and soon after her son starts to claim he has a make believe friend Thomas. When I watched this film, I was visiting a friend who lived in an older building that was built many years ago. I kept waking up at night wondering who might’ve lived in that house many years ago. I normally do not believe in superstitious things, but that night I was definitely awake at night wondering if someone was wandering down the hallways at night or if someone was watching me sleep.

    Maria Madera Herrera

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  19. The one movie I can remember scaring me was The Shining. I first saw this movie at a young age and was terrified of the storyline. I think it affected me more so because there was a little boy in the movie that faced ghost, an imaginary friend, and also a demented father. I feared for the boy and wanted him to be safe. I was an only child so I spent a lot of my time playing pretend by myself but after watching this movie I wanted nothing to do with imaginary friends or ghost! I was afraid that while playing in my room alone I would be visited by the unwanted hahaha. Today this movie remains one of my favorite scary movies and still frightens me.

    - Kimberlina Rodriguez

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  20. Out of all the movies I've ever seen, I must say, any of the exorcism movies give me the creeps and make me hate sleeping alone. The main reason is that, it deals with religion, and in most of these movies it makes it seem as if the message is, "Even Jesus can't save you now!" ..when surrounded by such evil things. I personally turn to prayer in many situations, but most definitely when I am frightened and if what is shown in these exorcism movies were to be true, it seems as if my only safety-blanket in those situations would provide no solace for me. So I guess what really frightens me is the answer to this question: What if this happened to me in reality?

    - April Joy Garcera

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  21. I don’t like scary movies at all because they leave me thinking and at night I can’t sleep. When I watch a scary movie I think that such things can happen to me not only to the actors in the movie, therefore, I try not to see them. One movie that scared me was The Sixth Sense. Since the movie is about a child who can see dead people, I am scared that I might see that as well. I hate darkness, especially when I am alone. For example, when I go to sleep the doors to my closet need to be closed if not I will not sleep, because I feel someone is in there looking at me ready to come out and attack. Also, when I am walking alone at night I tend to speed walk or run because I feel that people follow me.

    -Janette Lopez

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  22. I have watched some scary movies but I hate to watch them. My ex used to get a kick out of scaring me to death by horror films. I don't like them. I think the "shinning" and "IT" are the two most scariest movies because they could possibly happen. I don't even like to think of scary movie so this post is going to be short.
    Katrina Gregory

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  23. I refuse to watch scary movies. Theres not one single movie that i can recall that really scared me but there are situations that I see in many movies that do scare me. The most scary thing for me when i watch a movie where a child losses their father. It scares me and makes me think what would my son do if he lost me.

    Adam Eaton

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  24. I really don't watch scary movies because I don't think they are scary. The only film that I remember giving me a scare was "The Exorcist". I think it was scary because this caused the girl do horrible and abnormal things. I heard that if you play the ouija bad things will happen to you, sooner or later, therefore; I try not to get to curious about the ouija.

    Lizeth Ramirez

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  25. I've watched many films that were meant to be scary, but did not meet the goal that was set to be achieved. Some films have left me a little uneasy, but to truly scare me, it seemed impossible. Well, until I watched "The Collector." It left me turning on every light in my house; hoping that there weren't any torture-traps, or a masked man trying to kill me.

    -Danielle Mabon

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  26. I have watched a lot of horror movies in my day. I really don't like them today too much blood and gore. Jaws was the first scary movie I saw in the theater. I jumped right out of my seat and onto my father's lap. None of them scared me too much after that. What my family, friends and I did, while watching a scarey movie, was make fun of it. They always have a scene with a good looking, almost naked girl running....until she trips falling to the ground screaming.

    Lauri Slocumb

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  27. I like scary watching sceary movies so the scariest movie I have seen is "IT". The movie is about a clown that can transform into a persons worst fear. Just by seeing the clown on the cover of the movie box sends goosebumps down my spine. This scary movie has cause me to have a small fear of clowns.

    -Jose Bolaños-

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  28. Correction on the first sentence for my April 6, 2011 posting...

    I like watching scary movies so the scariest move I have seen it "IT".

    -Jose Bolaños-

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